What’s the science behind adding salt?

[FishGuest5123]

@Byron should have the opportunity to chime in here.

 

[AbbeysDad]

@Byron should have the opportunity to chime in here.

And he may when and if he's well enough. For now and at least the next week or two, he is bedridden. Until then, the research will need to stand on it's own merit.

 

[FishGuest5123]

And he may when and if he's well enough. For now and at least the next week or two, he is bedridden. Until then, the research will need to stand on it's own merit.

Prayers going up for Byron!

 

[Barry Tetra]

@Colin_T Can you explain more about salt?

 

[Colin_T]

Salt is used in aquaculture for food fish because it is safe and treats most diseases that affect freshwater fish.

My understanding is the bacteria, fungus and protozoans can't tolerate the salt water and when it goes above a certain level, they die off. The fish can tolerate higher levels of salt and don't die.

How it works, I don't know. One of the members here mentioned it might be the sodium and chloride separating in the water to produce low levels of chlorine in the water that kills the disease organisms. But I don't know. I simply use it because it works most of the time and is safer than anything sold in shops.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

Salt is used in aquaculture for food fish because it is safe and treats most diseases that affect freshwater fish.

It also works the other way around with freshwater on Saltwater fish. The public perception is better than using "Chemicals" on their food

My understanding is the bacteria, fungus and protozoans can't tolerate the salt water and when it goes above a certain level, they die off. The fish can tolerate higher levels of salt and don't die.

Pretty much, The most well documented is in Atlantic Salmon and Either Gyrodactilus or AGD. Both are external parasites and have a lower tolerance to the different salinity. but with AGD this could mean a 12+ hour freshwater bath (Salt stage salmon).

 

[Essjay]

Salt used to be added routinely to all tanks decades ago, and some still say it should. Fishkeepers back then didn't know why salt kept their fish healthier, they just knew it did.
We now know that the chloride half of salt blocks nitrite from binding to the fish's haemoglobin. Since we now keep our tanks nitrite free, we don't need it on a routine basis.